1. TECHNICAL FIELD
The invention relates to a change-speed gearbox for motor vehicles with a front mounted transverse drive unit comprising a change-speed gearbox in line with an engine and a final drive, which is driven by the output gearwheel of the change-speed gearbox and has its main axle mounted in the gearbox housing.
2. DESCRIPTION OF THE PRIOR ART
From German patent 36 21 620, a change-speed gearbox for motor vehicles having a front mounted transverse drive unit is known, wherein the final drive connected to the output gearwheel of the change-speed gearbox is a differential gear unit for driving the front wheels of the vehicle.
In this known change-speed gearbox, a bevel gear right-angle drive is connected to the differential gear unit by way of a hollow shaft, so that a vehicle can be provided with four-wheel drive while retaining a large number of the components. In the case of the known change-speed gearbox, it is further proposed to employ the differential gear unit only as a housing which drives the bevel gear right-angle drive by way of the hollow shaft, in order to provide only a rear-wheel drive for a vehicle.
While the known change-speed gearbox has the advantage that it can be used as part of an assembly kit for vehicles with front-wheel drive, with four-wheel drive, and even with rear-wheel drive, the retention of the differential housing and the hollow shaft nevertheless imposes severe design limitations on the bevel gear right-angle drive. Arranging the bevel gear right-angle drive laterally offset from the output gearwheel brings it into the region of the adjoining clutch and of the engine, and hence, for spatial reasons, the optimum diameter design cannot be accommodated.